Mariposa

Mind Link

|•BACK AT THE ENCHANTED FOREST•|

Novah was on his way back from the day's work when he had a feeling that something was wrong. Normally, he would have been feeling Mariposa's strong aura from about ten kilometers away but he's almost close to the forest and he isn't feeling anything. Maybe she isn't close, Novah assured himself. He got to the garden but he didn't find his family there. He heard some voices coming from the waterfall so he walked towards the direction.

"Guys, I'm scared." Novah heard Claudia say, making him to stop on his tracks. Claudia, Roxie and Rosie were at the other side of the fall so they didn't notice his presence.

"Calm down." Roxie said.

"Calm down? Mari has been gone for almost ten hours and you're telling me to calm down?"

Novah was wondering what Claudia meant by Mari has been gone for ten hours? Where did she go? Did she go flower gathering? Or fruit gathering? What is happening!

"She has to come home soon before the portal closes. It's only a matter of minutes before Novah returns."

Novah's head almost exploded when he heard Rose say that. Mariposa went out if the garden, after all his warnings and these animals let her go?

.

"Mari will get home soon. Don't panic and if Novah gets home before her, we act like nothing happened. We don't want him to know, do we?"

"Don't want him to know what?" The shock on each of thier faces when they saw him convinced the fact that truly Mariposa is out of the garden.

"Where's Mari and why are you talking about the portal. What are you keeping from me?" Novaj took a step forward and non of them answered him. This made him more mad than he already was.

"I asked a question!" Novah roared in anger. Claudia gave a really awkward laugh and stood up, "So, Novah. Big guy, how was today's work? Caught the big fox again?"

The glare Novah casted Claudia after she asked that question made her silent immediately. Roxie sighed and walked to Novah. "I allowed her to go to earth." Roxie said as he walked away.

"What? I clearly gave you an order! I told you not to let her leave this ground! Why the hell will you do that? Roxie, don't turn your back on me when I'm talking to you! How dare you defile against my order!"

"I dare!" Roxie fired. "I dare go against it, Novah. What are you gonna do about it huh?" Novah was dumbstruck as he stared at Roxie. Never in Roxie's life has he fired back at Novah. It has always been Novah doing the firing so hearing him burst out like that really shocked Novah.

"You locked her up in this messed up place for twenty good years. That girl has wanted nothing more than freedom, even if it was just for a minute. All you did was to make her live by your rules, was that want Queen Aurora told you? Did she tell you to become a boss over her child's life? You tell her to do this, you tell her to do that and the poor girl doesn't ver complain. But just for her to live her dream life for twelve hours, you're blowing up in my face, telling me you gave me an order, to hell with your dumb order. You're not the only one that cares about Mari, I do too. I care about Mariposa a lot, we all do so we must make her happy once in a while. If you're gonna deprive her of her happiness then I won't, even if it means getting into a fight with you."

Roxie gave Novah one last glare before he walked away from the fall. Claudia and Rosie at the back had thier mouths wide open in shock. "That was so brave of him, and cool, and stupid because Novah now looks more mad." Claudia whispered to Rose. The both of them took quiet steps to the back and sneaked away from Novah. They don't want to be the victims of Novah's rage.

Novah clenched his fist and took to the skies, jumping from tree to tree and he went to the direction of the portal. He arrived there but to his surprise, he saw nothing. He assured himself that he was at the wrong place so he looked everywhere. He looked at every corner of the wide forest until he came back to where he began. It was then that it dawned on Novah that the portal has closed. Novah's knees got weakened. He slumped on his knee, unable to believe that his Princess is gone.

"No, no, it can't be." Novah dashed to the wall and began to punch it. "Let me out! I wanna see Mariposa. Let me out!" He kept punching till his fist bled.

"Nooo!" He shrieked in pain as he fell on my knees. He had always known that something like this would happen one day. He knew this would happen if she walked through that portal. Apart from Novah keeping his promise, Mariposa has always been like a daughter he never had. His pregnant wife died in the great war. Sorex, the king of the underworld, invaded and destroyed Nymphodia. He was out protecting other people but he couldn't save his wife and unborn child from death. So when Queen Aurora gave him Mariposa, she was like a replacement in place of my dead child and I was afraid that if she left, she'll never come back. He was scared of loosing Mari, he wanted her to be with him forever. Now, that he's thought about it, he now realized that he has been very selfish. Mariposa always being around him made him happy but he didn't realize that Mariposa wasn't. Roxie was right, he has been killing emotionally. He's been a bad grandpa and a bad servant to Aurora. "I'm sorry Mari. I'm sorry my queen." Novah bowed as he cried on.

Roxie and the other animals were waiting patiently for Novah to come back. Claudia was about screaming when she saw Novah approach them. He was taking very slow steps. He looked so broken and not okay. Claudia looked behind him but he didn't find Mari.

"Where's Mari?" Rose asked the question in Claudia's thoughts. Novah didn't answer her question. He only slumped on the ground and sighed deeply. "It's...it's closed."

"What's closed?"

"The portal." Roxie stood up immediately Novah said that. "Closed? What do you mean? But Mari is back right? She came back before it closed, right?" Novah chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. "No, she's gone, forever." Rose could feel the sadness in his voice as Novah spoke. She was beginning to feel guilty.

"So, you're going to do nothing about it?" Roxie asked. Rose turned to Claudia who was being dramatic as ever. She was wailing like a lost cat. "She's not dead you know?" Rose reminded Claudia. "She's with Kyle."

"So? We won't see our Princess again, forever! Doesn't that bother you?" Rose sighed and walked away. It does bother her.

"Novah, you can still contact her." Roxie said.

"How?"

"The mind link."

"Mind link?"

"Yeah, you used to contact us with that." Rose joined the conversation. "But, I don't think that works between alternate universes."

"We have to try still." Novah sighed and sat in a criss cross position, his hands on each of his folded legs, eyes closed. The three animals knew he needed optimum concentration so they remained silent and watched the forest guardian do his thing. "I hope this works." Roxie said in his mind and seriously, that is what everyone wishes.